Method of making composition blanks



l mented June 24-, l fifl WILLIAM: J. GAVEN, 0F WILKES-BAERE, EEITIISYLVAT'IIA, AND IVIICI-IAEL FRIED, 0F Ill IOU? '1 VERNON, NE-VI 203K; IvIAEY E. GAVEN ADTMIK'I TBATRIX OF SAID WILLIAM J. GAVEN, DECEASED METHOD OF IVIAKING CSM?GSITION BLAHKS No Drawing.

This invention relates to an improved method of making composition materials, and more particularly to such composition materials as are supplied to manufacturers of commercial articles, to be formed by means of molds, -matrices, or the like into a desired product.

The method heretofore commonly employed in producing such composition materials involvesthe use of considerable and expensive machinery, the operation of which not infrequently resulted in injury to the workmen or attendants. In carrying out this prior method, the ingredients entering into the composition materia such as clays, pulp, shoddy, mineral material, coloring matter and binder, was first rolled into a massby means of large revolving heated rolls, requiring from 20 to 45 H. P. for their operation. After the material had beenrolled and'fused into a heated plastic mass, itwas then formed into blanks by means of similar machines of smaller size, and these blanks are finally ground into powder by high power and high speed grinding machines. Such operations are quite laborious and time-consuming, and

owing to the great amount of dust arising from thegrinding of the materials, and the vapors which are given pit in the heating of the mass, .are injurious tothe health of the workmen. I

It is the primary object and purpose of our present invention to provide a new method of making such composition materials, wherev by the use of such bulky machinery may be.

dispensed with, and which method may be carried out in practice with an entire elimination of any injurious effect upon theoperator or workman. I

More particularly, it isthe purpose of our present improvement, to provide such a method, which consists 'inplacing directly upon a non-plastic base a desiredamount of the raw,mixed, unrolled, powdered ingredients, consisting of clays, pulp, shoddy, mineral, matter, coloring matter, and asuitable binder, and then subjecting such mixed powdered ingredients and the non-plastic base to the action of heat. The resinous or. other powdered material is thereby fused, caus- Application filed December 24, 1923. Serial No. 682,580.

ing the other ingredients to be mechanically held by the 1 binding action, and produces a conglomerate, adherent, homogeneous mass. Under the action of heat, the binder and other materials are also securely fastened and united with the non-plastic base. In some cases we prefer to use a piece of card board or other fibrous material, in which case the said base becomes thoroughly permeated by the plastic mass, so that in effect the powdered ingredients with the binder and the structure of the base become a one piece unit.

As a result of our new method, we produce a composition material which readily lends itself to a variety of treatments. Thus the manufacturer may readily apply to a slab or blank of the composition material an additional or superimposed layer of thepowderedingredients and the binder, or of a plastic mass formed therefrom, and of the same or a different color than the composition blank before placing the latter in the mold, or upon or between matrices, wherebythe commercial article is formed or shaped under the action of heat and pressure.

In one embodiment of our present invention, which we have found quite desirable in practice, we provide a base, preferably, though not necessarily, of paper, cloth, or other non-plastic material, whichmay be of any desired size and shape. Upon one side of this base we then place a sufficient quanti ty of mixed, dry, powdered ingredients, which are in the raw state, unrolled and ununited with each. other. These materials, which include an adhesive binding agent, such as a resinous material, shellac, or the like are evenl I spread over the surface of the base, and said base, with the materials thereon, then placed I within an oven, or otherwise subjected to the so minute and widely distributed after the sired portion or section of the base.

under the action of the same heat with the base.

After the above operation on one side of the base has been completed, it is repeated upon the opposite side thereof, if desired, a similar coat of the raw powdered unfused ingredients being united in a plastic mass, and fixed upon said opposite side of the base in the same manner as above described.

We have referred to'the use of a base material, such as paper or cloth, but it is to be understood that we may also employ various other non-plastic materials, to which the powdered, raw ingredients formed into a coherent, plastic mass in the manner above described, will adhere or unite.

The powdered materials may be placed upon the non-plastic base in various ways, but in order to prevent the admixture of any foreign materials therewith, and also for economical reasons, we prefer to sift the raw, mixed, powdered ingredients upon the surface of tli'enon-plastic base, so that any foreign materials which. may by accident find way into the powdered ingredients will be sifting operation, that they will: not cause any serious damage to the molds, matrices or dies which may be employed in fashioning the blankof composition material intot-he desired final shape or form of the commercial article, and likewise the article itself will not be defective, and for that reason rejected upon inspection.

In order to enable certain shaped blank 'forms of the composition material to be pressed into the final shape of the'commercial article, with a minimum. of labor, wemay in some cases provide the'basewith a superimposed member of the same materialv as the base, but of smaller. size, and which part might be of various shapes. This superimposedpart is centrally positioned upon the base andthe dry, powdered ingredients are then sifted upon the surfaces of said base and the superimposed part, or, if desired, instead of providing sucha superimposedpart, an additional layer of the dry, powdered ma- .terial may be appliedupon the firstapplied layer of such material, to cover only a de- Thus, in pressing the compositionblank to produce the commercial article, the united ingredients will be uniformly spread when said blank is subjected to heat and pressure in themol d or between'the dies or matrices." It will be understood that this additional layer forming araisedarea may be provided upon either one or both sidesofthe non-plastic base;

Again,. in producing phonograph recordsand: i1 3 like, the manufacturer may desire thatthfe-part of the blank fromfwhich'the recordlis formed and uponwhich the sound record groove is to be inscribed, shall con- -sist of a finer grade of material or shall-be of a different color from the remaining portion of the material. This may be accomplished by applying to that part of the base from which the record surface is tov be formed an additional coating of raw, unrolled and unfused powdered. ingredients of: the desired. fineness and quality. This additional layer may be applied either just before subjecting the base with the materials-thereon to the action of heat, or when the prep'aredcomposition blank is to be formed into the finished article.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that by reason of our new method of forming the composition material we entirely eliminate many of the mechanical: operations heretofore required, and thereby reduce the labor involved in the production of such material to a minimum. In addition. to the various ways in which a blank formed: of such composition material. might be used as above is'also apparent that, if: de-

lr may be ground explained, itsired,.tne composition blan or comminuted and pressed into various shapes or forms under tllQ'ZlCtlOD. of: heat H1) suitable molds. Of course, it isalsoapparcut that the composition blanks themselves might be of various forms and. sizes, and might be readily built up of a plurality of the formed blanks of the same or different sl'iapes,individually produced inthe manner above explained,,and then fastenedl or permanentlyunited with each other in variousarrangements; or, if desired, the base sheets of paper or cloth-might first be superimposed on' e ch other, and the whole then coated on one or both sides by a plastic composition mass, composed of the mixed, dry,.powdered ingredients united under the action of heat in themanner described. It is likewise possible to provide the base withperforations,

and when the composition blankformed by fusing, the dry, powdered mixed materials upon this perforated base is placed. in. the mold, the perforated base may be covered with another combination of dry powdered.

materials united'under the action of heat and pressure, and of better quality or of different color from the perforatedcomposition blank.

lVhile it is-v possible to use various conn. positionmaterials in carrymgout our. new method, we preferably employ the following description, therefore, that the important and essential feature of our new method resides in the application to either one or both sides of a suitable non-plastic base, a coating of initial powder contains a resinous binder, as

resin, gum, or shellac, and that this is not fused until the heating operation described takes place, when for the first time this resinous binder is subjected to heat. It has been found heretofore, that in all methods heretofore proposed the binder is subjected to heat several times. We have found that each time this is done, the binder has its binding force reduced. We use the binder in its virgin state, and only with one heat and pressure until it is ready for its final pressing, whereby the binder retains its retentive functions throughout.

When the central enlargement in depth is used, either by the powdered material or by the separate non-plastic prepared member, the pressure that is applied, causes the material to be forced or moved radially outwardly and thereby an equal distribution is obtained.

In some cases, it is desirable to place upon the formed blank or base as heretofore described, a sheet of celluloid or celluloid-like material. This can be done on either one or the other sides, or both, if both sides have been treated. To carry out this composite plan, the sheet of celluloid or the like is treated on one side with an adherent cement, and then this cemented portion is placed against the aforesaid base. This celluloid or the like sheet then is cemented to the base. This composite article is then ready to be distributed as a separate article of commerce. The manufacturer then takes this article and subjects it to heat and pressure and molds it to final shape.

Instead of using a sheet of celluloid, or celluloid-like material, a paste or semi-plastic liquid may be prepared, by adding a suitable solvent to the celluloid, and then dipping the formed base into it. Or, it can be applied by a brush to the formed base. It is preferable, however, in the case that celluloid or the like is used, to first equalize the formed base by smoothing it. Then the celluloid-like layer smoothly contacts therewith. This protecting layer maintains the formed base permanently in its initial condition and guards it against the action of the atmosphere, from moisture, acids, etc. It is also a suitable surface for the impressions of the finished article.

Also, instead of celluloid or celluloid paste or celluloid-like material, a coating of bakelite or condensite or redmonal may be provided in a similar manner, but in this case also the formed base should be smoothed off and a light coating of either one of these three products placed thereon and then subjected to a heat and pressure. We have mentioned bakelite, condensite, redmonal, but of course, any material having a base or binder of formaldehyde or carbolic acid may be used. This also acts as a protecting covering in the manner stated.

This invention may be developed within the scope of the following claim without departing from the essential features of the same and it is desired that the specification be read as being merely illustrative and not in a limiting sense except as necessitated by the prior art.

We claim:

The herein-described method for molding composite plastic and non-plastic articles, vhich consists in assembling upon a nonplastic base, a coating of unrolled, dry, mixed, powdered, ra v ingredients involving a resinous binder in its virgin state, with a central depression in the material whereby the material will be forced to move radially to secure an equal distribution when heated, subjecting said base with the composition ingredients thereon to a sin le heating for a period of from one to two minutes at a temperature Y of from 800 to 400 F. whereby the several ingredients are united with each other in a coherent plastic mass andsimult-aneou sly per manently fixed to said non-plastic base.

In testimony that we claim tl'ieforegoing as our invention, we have signed our names hereto.

WILLIAM J. GAVEN. MICHAEL FRIED. 

